“Molly…” he stated assertively, as though attempting to rouse her from a distressing reverie. She writhed on the bed, her nightgown adhering to her skin due to perspiration. She was being incinerated, correct? An individual arrived to ultimately terminate her existence by igniting her body. After all she endured, death was ultimately asserting its dominion over her body.
She merely sought liberation.
“Molly!” he exclaimed more forcefully. She was unaware that he was restraining her on the bed until he yelled at her. Her vision was obscured; was she truly awake? Was this yet another dream?
“Allow me to assist you into the tub,” he said as he lifted her from the bed, and she feebly resisted.
“No!” she exclaimed, or attempted to. She preferred death over allowing him to be the first man to witness her unclothed. She was already near it.
Jayce disregarded her protests and transported her to the toilet. A sizable tub occupied the centre of the room, already filled to capacity with water. Jayce did not pause to remove her garments; he placed her directly into the frigid water while she was still attired in her nightgown. It was a minor solace to her tormented psyche.
Molly inhaled sharply as the shock coursed through her body. It roused her immediately; she could distinctly perceive the coldness penetrating the warmth of her body. Her hands quivered as she clutched the rim of the tub and submerged her head beneath the water. Uncertain of the duration of her submersion, she felt powerful hands penetrate the surface and propel her upward once more.
“Are you insane?” Jayce retorted. He knelt beside the tub, his grip secure on her frail form. She could effortlessly submerge herself in the water once more and rest indefinitely—but he would not permit her to depart. He refused to allow her respite. “You will suffocate if you do not sit upright.”
Molly became aware of her laboured breathing only after he ceased speaking. The room reverberated with each breath she inhaled, and she realised she must have sounded like a mortally wounded creature to him. He compelled her to sit upright slightly before she acclimated to the frigid water. What was the duration until it reached boiling point based on her temperature?
Jayce scowled and employed a small towel to remove the surplus water from her face. She resisted his touch, as it only intensified her discomfort. “You ought to remain seated here for a period.”
Molly whispered, “I doubt I could move even if I desired to.” She shut her eyes and concentrated on the sensation of his hand as he ensured she did not submerge again. Why was her condition deteriorating? After two days, ought she not to have experienced some improvement by this point?
Her mind refused to entertain the notion that he could perceive her through the now-soaked cream nightgown. She could only contemplate the prospect that her body had ceased to function for her. It would not withstand this fever, would it? It was finally going to permit her departure after all she endured.
Jayce turned her head and removed the bandages from her neck, where she sustained near-fatal claw wounds for him. With furrowed brows, he tightened his grip on her chin as he examined her more closely.
“Molly.” He uttered her name authoritatively, prompting her to raise her gaze to meet his as she recognised her eyes were attempting to shut once more. “I require immediate assistance from someone to examine this.”
“Why?” Molly enquired softly.
“I believe…” He faltered; it was an unusual spectacle for a prince of his stature to waver. “I require confirmation regarding the nature of this.”
Suddenly, she found herself being elevated from the tepid water. He transported her drenched body to one of the expansive windows and placed her on a chair. The frigid breeze compelled her to shut her eyes in utter euphoria. “Remain seated. I shall return shortly.”
Molly remained silent. His footsteps diminished, and she nearly resolved to rise and change from her soiled nightgown, despite his insistence that she remain motionless. The dresser seemed distant; she would never reach it. When did the room become so expansive? Had they relocated her once more?
Molly shut her eyes and reopened them when an individual grasped her face. Naomi elevated her jaw and scrutinised the markings on her neck. At what time did she arrive? She was unaware of her arrival. What caused the room to be so luminous?
Naomi whispered, her cold fingers gliding over the marks on her neck. What was the extent of the damage? She desired to comprehend the source of everyone’s apprehension. However, she was disinclined to do so. “We must retrieve Colton.”
“Simply inform me of its nature.” Jayce growled. “With each passing second, her condition deteriorates.”
